One year into Trump presidency, government shuts down over fate of Dreamers

President Donald Trump

To commemorate his first full year in the White House, his critics say President Donald Trump orchestrated a federal government shutdown. Trump, of course, blamed the Democrats, who don’t control either chamber of Congress.

This is the One Year Anniversary of my Presidency and the Democrats wanted to give me a nice present. #DemocratShutdown

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says Trump twice backed away from a deal to protect so-called Dreamers, including the latest one that had money for Trump’s border wall.

This will be called the #TrumpShutdown. There is no one who deserves the blame for the position we find ourselves in more than President Trump. pic.twitter.com/WE3SH9TpRU

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 20, 2018

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, in a terse statement Friday night, made it clear he was not at all interested in assigning blame

“This is more unnecessary political drama. It used to be unimaginable that we would even consider shutting down our federal government. Coloradans know that our state government doesn’t shut down. Our legislature has never put the state in this position. We can’t imagine that ever happening here and intend to keep it that way,” Hickenlooper said.

“We can handle the impacts of the latest shenanigans, but they waste time and resources that we never get back. This is basically another federal tax that we have to pay.”

Immigration rights activists made it clear that Trump could have averted a shutdown with a DACA deal.

“Let’s be clear, this is a Trump shutdown on the anniversary of his presidential inauguration, is proof that he has yet to learn how to govern,” said Ben Monterroso, executive director of Mi Familia Vota. “If the White House and GOP leaders had allowed their party members to vote on the DREAM Act, which would provide relief to Dreamers facing deportation because the DACA program is phasing out, the Senate would have had more than enough votes to keep the government from shutting down.”

The Dream Act is co-sponsored in the Senate by both Republican Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner and Democratic Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet. It has yet to get a floor vote in the Senate.

“We congratulate a majority of Democrats in the House and Senate who voted to protect Dreamers and for protecting American values,” Monterroso added. “This is what 83 percent of Americans want, according to polls. This is what Dreamers deserve. And the votes against Dreamers are what our community will remember when we vote in the next congressional elections in November.”